Lynn Valley's Friday Night Live

On Friday evenings some of the best music and entertainment on the North Shore was with Friday Night Live at Lynn Valley United Church in North Vancouver.

FNL SHOWS UPDATE

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many events were either cancelled or postponed throughout the Lower Mainland in 2020. Friday Night Live decided to livestream their performances to help reduce the spread of the virus. However, the livestreams also came to an end in the summer.

As of August 2021, Friday Night Live seems unlikely to return at all. Concerts will probably take place at the same church, but not in the Friday Night Live format. Exact details, however, are to be confirmed.

For more information and updates see the Friday Night Live Facebook page.

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Click any of the above links to jump to specific information, or continue reading to learn all about Friday Night Live.

Friday Night Live in North Vancouver

If you lived nearby or happened to be on the North Shore, then Friday Night Live was well worth checking out. The cost was usually $12 online, $15 at the door and free for children ages 12 and under. It was a pretty good deal, especially as admission included snacks and even pizza! Special events were $25.

Friday Night Live (FNL) typically took place at a church, and was run by the church, but it wasn’t a “church-y” event. It was just great entertainment for folks of all backgrounds.

When the event ran, the doors opened at 7:30 pm, the show started at around 8:00, or shortly thereafter, and the entertainment ran for about an hour.

For more information see the Friday Night Live Facebook page.

Friday Night Live Show

About Friday Night Live

In the past, Friday Night Live involved comedy improv. In its last few years, however, the show transformed to involve more music and it replaced the improv with a guest artist and their story.

A small band or single musician opened the show each evening, a host set the theme, and there was a different artist every week. The host also interviewed the artist or artists for their story – their inspiration, their motivation and their perspective.

Fridays also usually began with kitchen-party-style mingling, and the artists often stayed around for a bit after the shows to visit with the audience.

Who’s Performing at Friday Night Live

Below was the schedule of shows and performers in the winter and spring of 2020.

As you’ll see, the event took place most (but not all) Fridays. (Note: Show dates, performers and other details were subject to change. In fact, because of COVID-19, many of the performances were either cancelled entirely or went online.)

PAST 2020 FNL SHOWS

January 17th, 2020

Chris Ronald – a singer/songwriter of contemporary folk music, he has won several awards including “Songwriter of the Year” at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

January 24th, 2020

Nyla Carpentier – a poet, writer, actress, powwow dancer and workshop facilitator.

January 31st, 2020

Dino Dinicolo – a North Vancouver-based musician that performs with a funk, soul and jazz-style sound.

February 7th, 2020

Beverley Elliott – an actress and singer/songwriter who has starred in a multitude of television shows and movies and sings in the pop-folk style.

February 14th, 2020

Liam Sturgess – a local Vancouver musician with a rock-pop style.

February 21st, 2020

Stranger Friends – a jazz group featuring Dean Thiessen on piano and compositions, Thad Bailey-Mai on trumpet and Ben Parker on drums.

February 28th, 2020

Evan Kennedy – a local North Vancouver musician that performs with acoustic guitar.

For more information see the Friday Night Live Facebook page.

March 6th, 2020

Deanna Knight – a local Vancouver folk/jazz musician.

March 13th, 2020

Joel Eddington – a magician and illusionist.

March 27th, 2020

Michael Fabro – a guitarist, singer and songwriter that performs with a mix of pop and Latin music styles.

April 3rd, 2020

Songscape Duo – a classical duo that tells a story through song featuring Frank Chu on piano and Madeline Miskie-Jaeger on vocals.

April 10th, 2020

Jesus Christ Superstar Sing Along – an evening of singing songs from the famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Note: Due to the coronavirus and the cancellation of all live shows, this performance is being livestreamed online and performed by FNL musician Matt Grinke starting at 4:00 pm. Click FNL on TwitchTV to see the production.
Carlotta Gurl – today features not just one, but two shows. The evening event features drag-show performer Carl McDonald. The livestream feed opens at 7:00 pm, the house band begins to play at about 7:30 and the main show begins at 8 o’clock. Click FNL on TwitchTV to see the production.

April 17th, 2020

Amy Stephen – a Celtic musician, harpist, pianist and flute player, Amy is the co-founder of the Celtic Funk band Mad Pudding. The evening’s Kitchen Party begins at 7:00 pm and Amy starts at 8:00. Due to COVID-19, the show is livestreamed via TwitchTV.

April 24th, 2020

Shawn Bullshields – a musician and songwriter whose music is influenced by Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Cockburn, Paul Simon and Billy Joel.

Friday Night Live Musicians — Matt Grinke on piano at Friday Night Live

Friday Night Live Venue Location

Friday Night Live usually took place Friday evenings in Lynn Valley, a residential neighbourhood in North Vancouver.

The event’s venue was the Lynn Valley United Church building at 3201 Mountain Highway.

Shows took place weekly, except for in December, part of January and from June until the end of August when they took breaks. Performances started at 8 o’clock and usually lasted for about an hour or slightly more.

Friday Night Live Venue — The venue at Friday Night Live

What to Expect

The performers at Friday Night Live were talented. Each evening had a different theme and special guest or group of performers – often a musician, sometimes a comedian and on the rare occasion even a magician. Occasionally the guest was still an improv group, like it always used to be in the past, but more often than not it was a musician or band.

Friday Night Live offered really good family-friendly entertainment, and it was affordable too (especially if you had children under age 13 because they were free).

During normal years, the evening started with complimentary food. There was usually pizza available as well as mixed veggies, cookies and sometimes even chocolates. There was also wine for sale at about $5 a glass. At around 8 o’clock people took their seats and the show began.

Although sponsored by the Lynn Valley United Church, the show wasn’t church-y. Surprisingly, there was little or no religious content whatsoever – just good clean talented humour, music and family fun. It was a great event and all were welcome.

Tips and Advice

Below are some tips and suggestions to help you make the most out of your Friday Night Live experience if the event returns.

TIP #1: On “Special Event” nights book your tickets in advance or arrive early as the show often sells out. Also, remember that tickets those days cost $25, whereas normally they are just $12 online and $15 at the door.

TIP #2: If you can go to one of their “Special Event” nights, go! They are especially impressive! Regular shows are great too, and good value for your money. “Special Event” nights though feature extra well-known groups and personalities who are often from out of town. They are worth the additional $10 to see (and usually quite a bit more).

TIP #3: Arrive early to get a good seat and enjoy the complimentary pizza and other snacks.

TIP #4: If you like what you see, invite your friends the next time. The more the merrier!

TIP #5: If you don’t already live on the North Shore, consider combining your evening at Friday Night Live with a visit to other places of interest in the area. In non-winter months when the sun doesn’t go down until later, nearby parks like Lynn Canyon and Lynn Headwaters can be nice to explore. Lonsdale Quay is also just a 20-minute drive away.